Cable reel



Aug E, 19330 A owy 1,920,205

CABLE REEL Filed April 4, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 1,1933. A. LowY I CABLE REEL Filed April '4, 1930 2 Sheets-Slyeet 2 Patented Aug. 1, 1933 UNITED srATEs CABLE REEL Arthur Lowy, Newark, N. 1., assignor a; New. York Engineering Company, New York, N. Y., a Corporation 01' New York Application April 4, 1930. Serial No. 441,590 4 Claims. (01. 242-111) This invention relates to cable reels, and has particular reference to reels of the larger sizes used by cable, telegraph and telephone companies for carrying lead covered insulated cables,

5 etc., and which require to be shipped with protection from the elements.

These reels as now in common use, are built up of laminated wood, and protecting lagging is nailed on. When the cable on a reel is to be strung or laid, a rod is put through the center and supported on jacks. While empty and loaded reels are largely transported between the plant of the cable manufacturer and the place where, the cable is to be used, the reels themselves are often rolled from place to place, and frequently over rough and uneven pavements, which damages the rims and the means for holding the lagging. Such reels work satisfactorily but are expensive to build and maintain, and also are not collapsible, so that a large amount of space is required to return empty reels to the manufacturer for re-use. Various efforts have been made to devise cheap, light-weight, strong and collapsible metal reels for different purposes, but various objections have been encountered as to weakness, expense, durability of rims to resist rolling, attachment of lagging and warping due to rough usage especially in jacking up and unwinding the cable at the job.

According to the present invention, an all metal collapsible reel is provided which is strong, cheap and durable,- and which overcomes the aforesaid objections, besides providing several new advantages. The reel generally consists of side plates carrying welded rims with suitable bracing to'resist distortion, together with central bushings for the rod, and a novel construction of lagging which will not interfere with rolling the reel from p ace to place, nor be broken or damaged by suc usagefi A particular problem which has heretofore existed in the production of a reel of this type has been in simply and properly bracing the central bushings which receive the rod. As it is customary to use anything which will support the weight for such a rod, such as a crow bar or pipe, it frequently happens that distortion of such a rod puts bending moments on the bushings and the side plates which may become so severe as to loosen the bushing and warp or break the side plate. In carrying out the invention, a special method of bracing in cooperation with the radial stiffeninghas been devised so that the bushing andthe plates form a light but firm unit which will not of Fig. 3;

distort 'under heavy usage. This consists in brief of bushings welded to the plates and radial braces or spokes composed of angle iron welded or riveted to the plates and having their upstanding .fianges welded, preferably radially, to 50 the bushings, resulting in a firm and unyielding structure. The rims preferably extend outwardly of the plates and are likewise braced by the upstanding flanges of the angle spoke members welded thereto. Where desired, short spokes extend from the rim to inwardly within the drum so that the plates are equally strong over all. Ordinary wood lagging cannot conveniently be applied to such a structure, and to meet this problem, a novel form of overlapping, depressed, curved corrugated lagging has been devised which can easily be fastened by cotter pins and which will permit the reel, when loaded and covered, to be rolled from place to place without materially damaging the lagging because of its corrugations being within the periphery of the rim.

The invention will be more fully understood in connection with the description of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. -1 is an elevation of a reel embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section of the lagging on line 2-2 Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section;

Fig. 4 is a detail section. showing the overlapping and fastening of the lagging to the rim on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing the bracing of the bushings. 1-1 represent the plates having welded thereto, rims 2, with the main portion of the rim outside the plate. Carried by the plates to support the drum 3 are circular angle irons 4. The drum 3 can bean open ended cylinder welded or rivet- 5 ed together.- The heads are held together by l bolts 5, which, as shown in Fig. 1, preferably pass through the flanges of the angle iron long spokes 6 and short spokes 7, the flanges 8 in each case being welded to the rim 2. 9 represents the bushings, which as shown in Figs.3 and 5, are welded to the plate 1 from which radiate the flanges 8 of spokes 6, 7, so that the bushing is positively supported in six'or as many directions as there are long spokes. Thereby a very firm and 'light plate or head assembly is produced which will withstand very hard usage.

The lagging as shown in Fig. 2 consists of corrugated segments 10 specially rolled to have the corrugations depressed as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. n

In the edges the lagging segments carry perforations which line up with holes 11 in the rims, through which cotterpins 12 are passed and split,- see Fig. 4-, to hold the overlapped lagging segments in place when a loaded reel is to be shipped.

When an empty reelis to be returned to the plant for credit, it can easily be knocked down and sent back in sections with great saving of space. The drum where desired, can be made in segments similarly to the lagging and similarly fastened to the rings 4.

It will be seen that a heavy cable carrying knock-down reel of novel construction and advantages has been devised, and which is not restricted to the specific features shown except as required by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: v I

1'. A cable reel comprising a drum, head plates detachably secured to said drum, a rim carried by each head plate, central bushings secured to said head plates, longspokes secured to said head plates each having one end attached to the central bushing and the otherend attached to the rim, short spokes secured to said head plates each having one end attached-to the rim and the other end terminating short of the central bushing, and bolts passing through said spokes and holding said head plates together.

2. A cable reel comprising a pair of head plates, circular angle irons carried by said head plates, a drum supported by said circular angle irons, a rim carried by each head plate, central bushings secured to said head plates, long spokes secured to said head plates each having one end attached to the central bushing and the other end attached to the rim, short spokes secured to said head plates each having one end attached to the rim and the other end extending inwardly of the head plate beyond the drum, and bolts passing through the head plates, spokes and circular angle irons and holding said head plates to gether.

3. A cable reel comprising a pair of head plates, circular angle irons carried by said head plates, a drum supported by said circular angle irons, a metal rim carried by each head plate, central metal bushings secured to said head plates, long angle iron spokes secured to said head plates each having one end welded to the central bushing and the other end welded to the rim, short angle iron spokes secured to said head plates each having one end welded to the rim and the other end extending inwardly of the head plate beyond the drum, and bolts passing through the head plates, spokes and circular angle irons and holding said head plates together.

4. A cable reel comprising a drum, head plates detachably secured to said drum, a rim carried by each head plate, central bushings secured to said head plates, long spokes secured to said head plates each having one end attached to the central bushing and the other end attached to the rim, and intermediate short spokes secured to said head plates each having one end attached to the rim and the other end extending inwardly at least to said drum.

' ARTHUR LOWY. 

